Stepping into profitable and romantic world of tea dances

Date Published: {J}

Tea Dances conjure up romantic pictures of a bygone era, a time when women donned their best frock and heels, and men dressed in suits and ties with the aim of taking to the dance floor, leading their female partners in elegant foxtrots, waltzes and polkas.

Indeed there is something quaint about the notion of a Tea Dance, with its image of linen tablecloths and fine bone china, but in the capable hands of Tuam hairdresser Della Dolan, there is also something very profitable.

In the past three years Della’s Tea Dances, which are held in Tuam every Sunday, have raised over €300,000 for a range of charities in Galway. That’s on top of €40,000, which the dances raised while being held in Glenamaddy for six months before she moved them to Tuam for practical reasons. And they have also led to three couples finding romance, with one wedding scheduled for August.

Little wonder that Della won Tuam Person of the Year earlier this year, while her organisation was named Group of the Year in 2009.

The glamorous hairdresser, who is originally from Abbeyknockmoy, started the Tea Dances for two reasons, she explains.

The first was that there was a huge gap in the area for that kind of entertainment. The second was that it had the potential to raise serious money for charity.

“I love dancing. I absolutely adore it and I always liked helping charities,” she explains.

And so, on a Sunday afternoon in the Árd Rí hotel, 18 tables are set with white linen tablecloths and laid out with cups and saucers. The band plays lively music as the dancers stream in; men and women in roughly equal proportion.

For the admission fee of €7 patrons can enjoy tea, cakes and biscuits, and three hours of dancing.

“There was a big opening for it,” says Della. “And the same people come back again and again. I wonder where did those people go before the dances in the hotel.”

About 200 people attend on a weekly basis. These are “mature for the most part”, says Della and fellow organiser, Leo Finnegan agrees. The age range is from around 40 to 90, although there are younger participants.

Dancing starts at 3pm and finishes at 6pm, with a break for tea and a raffle during proceedings.

The hotel staff make the tea, while an array of buns, biscuits and cakes are provided by Della and her committee. Some of these are donated by local bakery, the Cake Box, while many of the rest are home-made.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.